Nine local children advance to Nevada State Spelling Bee

Pupils from across Nevada will gather to compete in the Nevada State Spelling Bee at 10 a.m. Saturday at Cimarron-Memorial High School. Nine children scheduled to participate in the state competition attend schools in the Las Vegas Valley.

Six Clark County School District pupils advanced to the state competition on Jan. 30 by finishing in first or second place in the district’s spelling bee finals. They are: sixth-grade winner Julien Tosques of Miller Middle School and runner-up Brett Murray of Webb Middle School; seventh-grade winner Jordyn Phillips of Swainston Middle School and runner-up Ally Horseman of Martin Middle School; and eighth-grade winner Daniel Waqar of Rogich Middle School and runner-up Catherine Chan of Fertitta Middle School.

In addition, three youngsters from private schools advanced to the state finals: sixth-grader Brandon Yi of Faith Lutheran Junior-Senior High School, and seventh-grader Chelsea Abrea and eighth-grader Jacob Torres, both of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School.

The winner of the state competition will advance to the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee May 29 and 30 in Washington, D.C.

In other youth news:

* Palo Verde High School will present the play “Don’t Tell Mother” at 6:30 p.m. March 11 and 12 in the school theater at 333 Pavilion Center Drive. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. Call 799-1450, ext. 4051 for ticket information.

* The city of Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services will begin accepting registration for its youth summer camps March 10. The camps are open to ages 4 to 15 and will be offered at the following community centers and schools beginning June 9: Becker Community School, 9110 Hillpointe Road; Brinley Community School, 6150 Smoke Ranch Road; Charleston Heights Community School, 6438 Celeste Ave.; Cimarron Rose Community Center, 5591 N. Cimarron Road; Doolittle Community Center, 1950 N. J St.; Gibson Community School, 3990 W. Washington Ave.; Johnson Community School, 340 Villa Monterey; Lied Community School, 5340 W. Tropical Parkway; Molasky Community School, 7801 W. Gilmore Ave.; Rafael Rivera Community Center, 2900 E. Stewart Ave.; Robison Community School, 4794 Harris Ave.; and Stupak Community Center, 300 W. Boston Ave.

The fee is $65 per child per week and $60 for each additional child in the same household.

In addition, Mirabelli Community Center, 6200 Hargrove Ave., and Veterans Memorial Leisure Services Center, 101 N. Pavilion Center Drive, will offer themed-specialty camps with additional activities. The fee is $100 per week for the first child and $90 for each additional child in the same household.

For summer camp registration, call 229-5445.

* Four young men from the Las Vegas Area Council of the Boys Scouts of America have recently become Eagle Scouts:

Joshua Claudio, 18, is the son of Peter and Larraine Claudio. He is a member of Troop No. 911.

Joseph Hall, 18, is the son of Connie and Mike Hall. He is a member of Troop No. 76.

Skyler Pikyavit, 18, is the son of Jeff and Kristi Pikyavit. He is a member of Troop No. 266.

Cody Webb, 15, is the son of Pam Webb. He is a member of Troop No. 121.

If you know of a worthy candidate for this column, mail information to Youth Spotlight, Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125-0070, or send faxes to 383-4676.